Supreme Court: In a case where the applicant’s wife had succumbed to the injuries caused by dog bite, the bench of Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh, JJ, considering the gravity of the situation in the State of Kerala , constituted an interlocutory Committee consisting of:
- Mr. Justice Siri Jaga, formerly a Judge of the High Court of Kerala.
- The Secretary, Department of Law, State of Kerala.
- The Director of Health Services, Government of Kerala.
It had been contended by the applicant that there should be respect for the provisions made in Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 to protect the animals but that does not really mean that the human beings should become prey to the attacks of the stray dogs, for it is the obligation of the State to see that the said dogs are sterilized or from time to time dealt with in accordance with law. The Court hence said that the Committee will entertain the complaints with regard to the injuries sustained by the persons in the dog bite, the nature and gravity of the injury, availability of medicines and the treatment administered to them, the failure of treatment and its cure and in case of unfortunate death, the particulars of the deceased and the reasons behind the same. Also, the Committee will identify the centres/hospitals where the anti-rabies vaccines are available free of charge.
Taking note of the fact that the family of the deceased, i.e. the husband who is a bus driver and 2 children, will not be able to sustain itself, the Court ordered the State of Kerala to pay Rs. 40, 000 to the applicant within 4 weeks. [Anupam Tripathi v. Union of India, 2016 SCC OnLine SC 293, decided on 05.04.2016]
